By Seth Freedman
From the moment we got on the bus, it was clear that our journey would set the cat among the pigeons for both us and everyone we encountered along the way. "You do know this is the bus for Ein Rafah, don’t you?" inquired the puzzled driver as fifteen Jewish gap year students clambered aboard, confused as to why any Jewish group would be making their way to the rural Israeli Arab village way out in the Jerusalem hills.
After explaining the purpose of our trip - to take part in a mifgash (meeting) between Jewish and Arab teenagers - he turned his attention back to the road, although similar bewilderment was etched on the faces of all the other Arab passengers who boarded after us and caught sight of our incongruous troupe. The bus wound its way through the lush countryside, passing through the hamlet of Ein Nequba before depositing us outside the mosque in the centre of Ein Rafah, where we were met by the town’s imam.
He took us for a tour of the mosque, patiently explaining the central tenets of Islam and answering the dozens of questions aimed his way by the inquisitive students. As he spoke, several local teens drifted into the carpeted hall, peering at the strangers in their midst from behind the safety of the pillars propping up the domed roof. Once the imam’s talk ended, we headed outside and the two groups began tentatively chatting to one another in broken Hebrew and similarly rudimentary English.
The similarities between the kids was clear - they sported the same piercings, the same brash, branded trainers and the same shy, nervous smiles as their opposite numbers, despite the Jewish group all hailing from South Africa and Australia and the Arab youth from no further afield than the roads adjoining the town square. By the time we headed into a classroom in the local primary school to hold the formal mifgash, the ice was all but broken and it was clear there was much both sides wanted to know about the other.
Sitting in a circle on undersized plastic chairs, everyone introduced themselves in turn and then began the process of quizzing one another on their respective lives. The gap year students explained that they were part of a Zionist youth movement, but that they were interested in learning about more than just the standard, saccharine Israel-friendly propaganda that most year-off courses are spoon-fed by the Jewish Agency. Therefore, they said, they didn’t want their Arab counterparts to feel embarrassed if they were critical of Israel in any way, since the point of the exercise on their part was to hear the reality of life for all of Israel’s citizens, no matter how hard the truth was to swallow.
Taking that on board, the Arab youngsters spoke candidly about life as "second-class citizens", describing the deep suspicion and distrust with which they are treated whenever they venture outside their village and into Jewish areas. "As soon as people hear us speak Arabic on the street, we’re stopped by the police and ID’d", said one boy flatly. "While I understand that they have security fears, when it happens again and again and again, in all areas of our lives, it can drive you crazy," he went on.
"Even though we live here as full citizens, we’re constantly made to feel different, which doesn’t create the possibility of feeling part of the whole," added Ada, a middle-aged woman who headed up the Arab group. She said that even though she could get on with Jewish Israelis on an individual basis, there was widespread discrimination both on a government level and in the job market, which was something she and her charges found very difficult to take.
"I don’t care if it’s an Arab or a Jew in charge of the government," said Shiriann, a recently-married girl from the village, "so long as I get my full rights and am treated like a human being here." The Jewish students were clearly uncomfortable with what they were hearing: "Which is no bad thing," according to Nic, their leader and educator, who intended the mifgash to challenge the preconceptions many of the kids had before they came to Israel about the situation on the ground.
Ahmed, one of the more vocal of the speakers from the Arab side, made the most poignant statement so far, saying: "Given the racism the Jews have faced throughout their history, they have a duty to learn from that and not discriminate against non-Jews here now that they’re in charge of the country." In response, however, some of the students asked whether it wouldn’t be better for the Arabs to escape the discrimination and move elsewhere.
"Why should we?", retorted Hani, as the atmosphere in the room grew palpably tense. "It’s our land - it’s where our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers came from; someone else took over and now you ask why we don’t leave?" His words provoked a flurry of responses which - while no one left fully satisfied with the other side’s replies - at least opened the eyes of both groups to how the other side felt about the situation, on both an intellectual and emotional level.
In the main, the experience was a positive one for all involved, with the discussions continuing long after the meeting broke up, phone numbers being exchanged, and positive noises made by the Jewish students on the bus journey back to Jerusalem. As the man chairing the session told them, "since you’re all your movement’s youth leaders of tomorrow, it’s your duty to deal with the complications that come from Jews being given a homeland here."
Despite the uneasiness caused by hearing from the horse’s mouth what life under Israeli rule is like for those physically on the inside but in all other regards out in the cold, the issues raised in the space of one morning shone more light on the conflict than any amount of sanitised museum visits and trips to the Dead Sea.
At the same time, showing their faces in a village all but bereft of interested Jewish visitors showed the local youth that their plight is by no means overlooked or ignored by groups such as this. And since these kids will more than likely make aliyah themselves in the future, it’s essential that they get to see the country, warts and all, rather than be conned into believing it’s all milk and honey in the Holy Land.
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